Our Family
by Kyogre
Summary: In which Ultear doesn't go back to the Magical Development Bureau. A short story about the ice family and defeating your demons together, sometimes more literally than others. (Ul, Ultear, Gray, Lyon)
1. The girl in the snow

~.~.~

 **Title:** Our Family

 **Summary:** In which Ultear doesn't go back to the Magical Development Bureau. A short story about the ice family and defeating your demons together, sometimes more literally than others. (Ul, Ultear, Gray, Lyon)

 **Notes:** I'm kinda embarrassed to be posting something this pointless and self-indulgent (not to mention poorly written), but eh. The internet is not for shame. This is just a short tribute to the ice fam. I can't handle the Ur/Ultear inconsistency, so it's going to be "Ul" here. Sorry in advance to everyone who's more used to Ur.

Also, very short chapters. Updates weekly, hopefully.

~.~.~

 **1\. The girl in the snow**

Stumbling barefoot through the Isvan snow, Ultear couldn't count the number of times she almost gave up. She was cold, so cold, and numb down to her bones. Even her magic, untrained but powerful, which had freed her from the bureau and protected her against the dangers of her journey homeward, had all but reached its limits.

She stumbled and fell face first down into the snow. Her cheeks and nose stung from the cold, and her shoulders hitched as she bit back a sob. She wanted her mother, she wanted to be warm, she wanted to be held and loved. But all of that seemed too far away for her small body to ever hope of reaching. She hated it, she hated all of it, but she was so tired.

Slowly, her eyes slid shut…

 _'My tear… My beloved daughter...'_

Ultear flinched sharply, her entire body shuddering as she returned to consciousness. She didn't know how long she had been out for, but she knew she had to get up. She wouldn't give up here. She'd go home, she'd see her mother again, she would be happy and loved.

She just had to keep going a little further.

Painfully, Ultear stumbled to her feet and trudged on. Surely it wasn't much further now. Just over the hill, she'd see her mother's cabin, standing alone between the small lake and the two pine trees. And her mother would be waiting there, warm and welcoming. She'd be safe again.

That's what Ultear kept telling herself as she climbed each new hill, on and on. She had been too afraid to take the roads, and for a while she'd worried that she had gotten lost, but now she was too numb for even that.

But finally, the trees began to thin. Leaning against the last trunk, she had to squint for a moment against the glare of the late afternoon sun as she emerged from the woods. For a moment, she couldn't believe the blurry shape she was seeing — the snow-topped roof, the two pines.

Her mother's cabin was in front of her. It was there, just as she remembered it, down to the warm light that had just come on in the back window.

Ultear tried to run toward it, but her tired feet caught on the snow and, with a stifled cry, she was tumbling downhill.

She finally slid to a stop on the trampled snow at the back of the cabin, bruised and somehow too tired to move even though her goal was in sight. It was right there, right in front of her, but… There were voices coming from inside. Her mother's and—

"Alright, alright, I'm going!" a boy called out sullenly, as he slammed open the back door of the cabin. He started toward the firewood stacked nearby, grumbling all the way and apparently unconcerned with walking barefoot and shirtless through the snow, but something made him pause and glance across the snowy clearing.

Ultear had instinctively gone still the moment he'd stepped out, and perhaps he wouldn't have noticed her, lying there in her pale nightshirt, if he had just gone on his way.

But when he turned in her direction, their eyes met. The boy froze in surprise, and his expression shifted into shock and something like recognition.

None of that mattered to Ultear. Her thoughts were spinning dizzyingly, her mind tying itself into knots of doubt, paranoia, and a crushing sense of despair. Why had this strange boy come out of her mother's house? What was he doing in their home? Was it possible that… had her mother really…?

"Gray! Your shirt! And don't bang the door like that!" Ul called from inside, with well-worn exasperation.

...replaced her.

Without conscious thought, Ultear had pushed herself up and began to back away. The strange boy was still staring at her in shock, but it wouldn't be long before… before… Ultear didn't know what he would do, but she knew she had to get away. There was no place for her here, not anymore.

Gray's thoughts were just as disarrayed, though along a different path. Finding a girl outside in the snow, wearing nothing but a loose nightshirt, was strange enough. But that face — she looked like Ul. Younger, softer, but the resemblance was undeniable. Ul had a daughter once, she'd said, but her daughter was dead. This girl couldn't possible be her.

But somehow, he was sure she was. And that meant he couldn't let her leave.

"W-wait!" Gray called out, finally breaking out of his stupor and reaching out toward the girl.

Ultear ran.

"Hey! I said, wait!" Gray scrambled after her. It was instinct to bring his hands together the way Ul had taught him and to gather his magic. Ice sprang up around Ultear's feet, trapping her in place. Ultear screamed, and her own magic surged, unrefined but overwhelming. It swept across everything, making the ground tremble, shaking piles of snow off the roof and the trees, and lifting Gray straight off his feet.

He was thrown back into the cabin wall, hitting it with a pained grunt and sliding to the frozen ground. He struggled to sit up, and his eyes met Ultear's glare, out of place in that almost familiar face, as she hesitated, caught between her instinct to run and the dark, ugly want to hit him again.

"Gray! What's going on out there?" Ul called, bursting out through the back door. Her gaze darted around in search of enemies and fell on the small figure of the intruder. Her eyes widened in recognition and disbelief, leaving her frozen in shock.

Far less concerned, Lyon brought up behind their teacher and peered around her legs. "What, did you pick a fight with squirrel, Gray?" he started to say, catching sight of his fellow student. "You're always so… Ul? Ul, what's wrong?"

Finally, Ul seemed to snap out of her daze and took a trembling step toward her daughter. "Tear…?" she murmured questioningly.

Ultear, who had been as paralyzed as her mother, flinched violently. "You! I'll never forgive you!" she screamed. "I'll never forgive you for abandoning me!"

"No, Tear! I would never—!" Ul tried to protest, but Ultear wasn't listening. With a final, vicious glare over her shoulder, she turned and ran.

Ul hesitated, reaching out but unable to take another step. Was this real? Could it really be happening? Was that truly her daughter? She'd dreamed of seeing her Tear again, but to have that dream come true… Or was this simply another nightmare? There had been many of those as well, of Ultear dying in her arms, disappearing no matter how hard she clung to her daughter, hating her, blaming her...

The distance between them seemed impossibly wide.

But before Ultear could go any further, her feet slipped out from under her, and she crashed face first into the icy ground — into smooth, slippery ice.

"Ice Make: Floor," Gray muttered, his hands together. He turned to Ul — for some explanation, or maybe to urge her to move — but she had broken out of her stupor and was already running to Ultear's side. Crossing the yard in a few long strides, Ul knelt next to her daughter and pulled her into her arms.

"Stay away! J-just stay away from me! I'll never forgive you…" She started out screaming, but by the end, Ultear could only sob.

"Oh, my Tear… I'm so sorry…" Ul murmured, holding her close. "I can't believe… you're really here. Oh, Tear…"

Helplessly, Gray glanced at Lyon, but his fellow disciple only watched the reunion in front of them with a strangely blank expression.

~.~.~


	2. Ul's tears

~.~.~

 **Title:** Our Family

 **Notes:** Awkward. Let's be honest, Lyon and Ultear, at this age, is just a disaster waiting to happen. Well, they'll grow out of it.

~.~.~

 **2\. Ul's tears**

Ultear remained docile as Ul carried her inside, or perhaps she had finally given in to exhaustion and lost consciousness. Having caught a glimpse of Ul's expression, Gray hesitated to follow. To give his teacher a moment to regain her composure and a moment alone with her daughter, he finally headed toward the firewood pile — the errand he'd been sent on before the unexpected encounter.

"Oi, Lyon! Don't just stand there, take some too!" Gray snapped at his fellow student, noticing that Lyon had also lingered outside, distracted. Under his breath, he added, "We'll probably need a lot to warm her up. She looked really cold…"

Despite the unreadable look that still lingered on his face, Lyon moved to help him without protest. That in itself was odd too. Lyon never passed up the chance to complain about anything Gray said or did, and ordering him around usually earned twice as much whining.

But of course, this wasn't the usual situation. Maybe Lyon felt off balance, like Gray did. Suddenly, their teacher wasn't just their teacher — she was a mom, with a daughter who was supposed to have died. What did that mean? And what did it mean for them? Would Ul… still be their teacher? Or—

Scowling, Gray gripped the armful of firewood and headed inside.

Ul hadn't gone far, only to the central room of the cabin, which served as a joint living room, dining room, and kitchen. Placing Ultear on the couch, she'd pulled out a towel and begun to gently dry the girl off. She paused every few moments to stare at that small, beloved figure in bemusement. She didn't look up when Gray and Lyon trudged in, dumping their loads into the box next to the fireplace.

"...Ul?" Gray ventured finally. "Are you okay?"

"What's going on? Is she really your daughter?" Lyon asked more directly.

Reaching up to quickly wipe her eyes, Ul nodded. "I'm sure of it. I don't know how, but she's my Tear," she said. Gently, she ran her hand through the girl's dark hair. "They told me she died. They were supposed to help her, but they told me her magic was too strong and she died, that her body was unrecognizable…"

Her hand was shaking as she drew back. 'I shouldn't have believed them,' Ul thought. 'Why did I believe them? I should have fought…' She bit her lip, trying to force back the guilt and self-recrimination. This was no time to break down, not when her kids — all three of them — needed her to keep it together.

Fidgeting uncomfortably under the tense atmosphere, Gray glanced at Lyon again, but found no help there. If anything, the intensity with which Lyon was staring at the girl on the couch was even more unsettling than Ul's distress.

"Uh… Clothes!" Gray burst out, making Lyon and Ul instinctively glance down at his bare chest. He'd also managed to lose his pants somewhere along the way. "For her, not for me! She'll need dry clothes, right? Should we get some of her old ones? You… still have them, right, Ul?"

Ul blinked in surprise, then shook her head slowly. "Those… won't fit anymore," she decided, thinking back. Even if she was far too thin, Ultear had certainly grown in the time she had been gone. "Some of Lyon's things should fit her, the bigger ones I bought for him to grow into. Why don't you get some of those?"

At that, Lyon's blank expression finally shifted — into a shockingly furious scowl. "Why?" he demanded, before catching himself and continuing in a more even but rather petulant tone. "Make Gray give her his clothes. Not like he uses them anyway."

Gray stared at him in confusion. He didn't see why it mattered, since most of his clothes were actually the old things Lyon had outgrown. Of course, that also meant they likely wouldn't fit Ultear, who was several years older than both of them, even if she was small for her age.

He thought Ul might yell at Lyon or at least scold him for picking such a bad time to be difficult, but if anything, she seemed to gain some measure of calm instead as she regarded Lyon closely. Unlike Gray, Ul could guess what Lyon was thinking — she remembered, painfully, when he'd asked her if he was enough to replace her daughter.

"That's no good," she answered evenly. "Go get one of my shirts instead. It should work for now. And warm up a bath."

Lyon hesitated, stubbornly, until Gray pulled him away. "What's with you?" Gray hissed.

"I'll get the bath started. You get the shirt," Lyon said with a glare that told Gray to mind his own business, or he'd get a punch to the face. Gray glared right back, but both of them knew this was no time for another of their scuffles.

As the boys departed, Ul let out a sigh. She would need to have a talk with Lyon, check that he was doing alright… but later. For now, Ultear came first.

"This time, I'll protect you. I swear," Ul murmured, reaching out to stroke her daughter's hair again.

Her hand froze as the girl on the couch said softly, "They told me you didn't want me anymore." Ultear kept her face pressed against the small embroidered pillow Ul had laid under her head, her eyes closed, as she spoke. "The people at the Bureau said you left me with them and you weren't coming back because you didn't want me anymore."

"That's not true!" Ul hissed, gritting her teeth and shaking with rage. "That's a lie! I would never abandon you! I would never…" But, unintentionally, she had. Ul shook her head, pushing the thought away. "If I'd known you were waiting for me, I wouldn't have let anything stop me from taking you back," she said instead. "I love you, my Tear. I will always love you. I will protect you. No one will take you away again."

Truthfully, what Ul wanted more than anything was to find the Magical Development Bureau and level it to the ground. Hunt down each and every branch and member and make them regret everything they had done. Seal them in ice and smash them into so many pieces that no one would be able to put them back together. She didn't think she had ever been this enraged, couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this strongly about anything.

But her head was startlingly clear too, like in a life or death battle. She knew she couldn't just run off and rampage for revenge. Ul knew where one of the Bureau facilities was, but there was no guarantee that it was the only one. She didn't know their numbers or their strength. And she couldn't take the kids with her, but neither could she leave them behind. What if those monsters came back and took them while she was gone?

Not to mention that rushing off now would be simple selfishness. It would satisfy her desire to right her mistakes, but it wasn't what the children needed — they needed her to be there for them, not off fighting somewhere.

For now, she'd bite back her rage and hatred. Ul was an ice wizard. She knew all about serving vengeance cold.

For now, she would watch for danger and make sure no one dared to come near her children again.

For now.

With a quiet sob, Ultear finally turned to look at her mother. Ul smiled down at her with all the love that she could muster, feeling as if her heart would burst at any moment from the depth of emotion she felt — the anger, the sorrow, the happiness. Tears welled up in her eyes, just like when she first held Ultear in her arms. 'This child…' She always brought out so much in Ul.

They moved at the same time — reaching for each other and embracing desperately. Rubbing Ultear's back and feeling her daughter tremble as she began to sob, Ul let her own tears flow.

~.~.~


	3. Let's try to get along

~.~.~

 **Title:** Our Family

 **Notes:** Lyon is a problem child (probably because I love him least; it is my fault). Ironically, I expect he'll grow up to be the calmest, steadiest of these dumb ice brats. Not that it takes much when compared to Ultear and Gray, with their issues...

Also, compared to the series, I think everyone might be a bit too blunt when talking about their feelings? But I think my parents were very clear about this stuff with me, so… I dunno, you guys. Cultural differences?

PS, I'm almost done writing, and I don't want to have to keep posting this for two more months, so updates will be twice a week, Monday/Tuesday and Friday.

~.~.~

 **3\. "Let's try to get along."**

"Alright, I know today's been a little strange," Ul said, smiling at her kids. It was a bald understatement, and the children stared back at her with understandable suspicion. "Boys, this is my daughter, Ultear. Tear, these two are my students, Lyon and Gray."

"Nice to meet you," Gray said, since he had been a nice, polite boy once, and his parents had raised him well. It still occasionally showed through, though never with Lyon.

It was a little unfair that Ultear regarded him so dubiously. "...Why did you take off your shirt?" she said, making Ul stifle a sigh.

As Gray cursed and spun around in search of his missing clothes, Ul said, "It's a bad habit he's picked up. Just... ignore it." Nudging Ultear a little, she nodded toward Gray and made an encouraging expression. Fortunately, unlike the often clueless boys, Ultear understood what her mother was hinting at.

"Nice to meet you too," she mumbled unenthusiastically.

Lyon's sharp eyes barely darted toward her, instead focusing on Ul. "You said she died," he said bluntly. Ul wasn't sure if she imagined the accusation in his tone. Again, she resolved to speak with him alone, later.

"I did. Because that's what I thought," Ul explained, keeping her voice even. Next to her, Ultear was frowning — even if she now believed her mother's side of the story, it was still a very raw wound. "Some… bad men lied to me and told me that Tear had died, but she escaped and made it home. So if you see anything strange, any people hanging around the house, make sure you tell me, even if you think it might be nothing."

She tried to convey how serious the situation and her warning was, but it was hard to tell how well the boys understood. Lyon only nodded in agreement, while Gray shrugged.

Ul sighed. "We're going to be living together now, so let's try to get along," she said, forcing a smile. "Okay?"

~.~.~

Naturally, it wasn't that simple.

Talking to Lyon proved unproductive. "You remember what I said, right? You're not a replacement for Tear, you never were. So just because she's here with us, doesn't mean I'm going to send you away or care about you any less," Ul tried to tell him bluntly when all attempts to steer to the subject more subtly failed. "You and Gray are both my precious students, and I love all three of you equally."

"Thank you, Master Ul," Lyon had replied, smiling, without actually agreeing with her.

Ul wasn't naive enough to think that would be the end of it, but there wasn't much more she could do at the moment.

They would just have to keep going day by day and deal with the problems as they came. That was how Ul had survived everything else life had thrown at her, and they'd make it through this too.

And the first thing was to always keep moving.

"Alright, training time!" Ul declared, once they'd cleaned up after breakfast. "Boys, you know the drill. Don't go far this time. We'll be keeping it short. Tear, you come too, but let me know if you get cold, okay?" While Lyon and Gray headed for the door, Ul held out her hand to the girl. Ultear accepted it shyly, her fingers tiny against Ul's palm.

The boys had started getting ready by the time Ul and Ultear joined them outside — stripping down to their boxers and stretching. Unnoticed by anyone, Ultear made a face like she was doubting the reality in front of her. Maybe it was all a weird dream? But wait, hadn't that boy — Gray, she reminded herself, the dark haired one was Gray — not been wearing a shirt the day before too…?

A moment later, her mother's jacket settled around Ultear's shoulders, and her pants went flying in the opposite direction. The woman herself blithely strode out into the snow in just her underwear and a tank top.

"We're going to keep it light today," she told her students. "I want to see you run through the forms we've been practicing. First, Shield!"

In practiced synchronicity, all three of them slid into the same stance, hands coming together fist to palm. A translucent sheet of ice appeared in front of each, Ul's larger than the boys'. Each shield had its own unique characteristics as well — Ul's was composed of flower-like petals, while Gray's was more angular like a snowflake, and Lyon's had a more solid, rounded shape.

It made sense, for that to be the first technique Ul had them practice, and it made equal sense that they would make their own variations of it.

But. 'Why did they strip?' Ultear wondered blankly. She felt like she had missed her chance to ask.

"Good, you're getting better at that," Ul praised, checking the boys' work. "Second, Ice Fountain!"

This time, three small clusters of ice spikes sprang up from the ground, Ul's slightly larger than the boys' and Lyon's slightly larger than Gray's. This spell could easily be made larger or smaller depending on how much power was put into it, and the point was to get the technique down, so a small "spring" would suffice and neither boy had been putting their all into it. Of course, that didn't stop Lyon from smirking triumphantly at Gray.

"Lyon, don't waste power," Ul scolded him. "Gray, tighten up your technique, it's too inefficient. Now, again. Ice Make: Ice Fountain!"

The boys had long since learned not to grumble about repeating exercises, which would only earn them more brutal training or some terribly humiliating punishment, so they moved to obey without complaint. Ul made them do it over several more times before they moved on to the next spell.

Watching them, Ultear settled down on the steps and huddled deeper into her mother's coat. It wasn't that she was cold. Rather, she couldn't help but feel left out. Her mother wasn't just her mother anymore — she was also their teacher, and for the first time in her life, Ultear would have to share her.

She didn't like it, Ultear decided. As she continued to watch, her teeth worried at her dry, cracked lip.

"It looks you're doing well with the forms I taught you, but Molding magic is the magic of freedom and imagination," Ul lectured. "Our greatest strength is our versatility! So just imitating the shapes I teach you isn't enough. You need to make up your own spells too. So it's time for improvisation training! I'm going to call out a keyword, and you'll create the first shape that comes to mind. Got it?"

The boys sounded off, sounding serious but also excited — trying something new and developing your own magic style was the most fundamental part of being a wizard. For them, magic was something wonderful and thrilling. Not like for Ultear, whose magic was nothing more than a curse — something other people desired and used her for.

She didn't realize she was glaring until Lyon glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. Most likely, she imagined his gloating look, but maybe she hadn't.

Either way, Ultear jumped to her feet without thinking. "I— I want to learn too!" she declared, instantly catching everyone's attention.

"You can't!" Lyon burst out. "That's—" '—ours, our connection to Master Ul!' he caught himself before finishing.

"You can," Ul contradicted firmly. "But are you sure, Tear? You're still recovering. Maybe later…?"

Ultear shook her head, if only to be contradictory at this point. "I can do it. My magic is strong," she said. "I want to start now. I have to catch up."

'You don't have to catch up. It's not a competition,' Ul wanted to tell her, but she realized Ultear wouldn't listen. Instead, she only allowed, "If that's what you want. Then come over here, I'll get you started on the basics. The stance is..."

"I remember. I remember watching you practice before," Ultear said, smiling suddenly at the happy memories, as she hopped off the steps and hurried to join the boys.

Ul returned her smile fondly. "That's right. You were always doing your best to copy me," she recalled. "You're very talented, so I'm sure you'll catch on fast. Just focus your magic and imagine the shape…"

"Wait," Lyon spoke up, interrupting them. "You have to do it right. And the first thing necessary to mastering Ice Make is mastering the cold. So take off your clothes."

The final statement was delivered in a firm, serious tone that was completely unsuited to his actual words, which were simply ridiculous. Ultear stared at him blankly, while Ul ran a hand over her face in exasperation. Given how serious he seemed, Ultear couldn't help but begin to consider it seriously as well. Hadn't her mother done it too, once they started training? She did want to learn Ice Make, but was it really necessary to… take off her clothes for that?

Was it worth it? Turning into a weirdo in exchange for learning magic?

Ultear considered it carefully, up until she caught sight of Lyon's expression. This time, she was sure she wasn't imagining it — he definitely looked smug at her hesitation. After all, being a weirdo didn't bother him and he had been learning Ice Make from her mother for over a year. He had been there first, even if Ultear had been Ul's first child.

There was no way she would back down, Ultear realized on some instinctual level. Throwing off Ul's borrowed coat, she reached for her shirt-tunic too.

"That's not necessary," Ul said quickly. "It's okay, really. Tear, you're still tired, and you can build up your resistance gradually. There's no need to rush. Let's start slowly and work up to it, okay?"

"That's not fair. You made us get used to it all at once," Lyon pointed out.

He wasn't wrong. Ul had trained them "all in" and that had been how she herself had been trained, by her own master. Certainly, it was the teacher's responsibility to stop before they pushed the students too far, but holding back too much would stunt their grown instead. A wizard could never reach their full potential if they didn't strive to exceed their limits.

Was she coddling Ultear, out of worry and guilt?

Lyon and Ultear were staring at her expectantly, faces set in pig-headed determination and, more worryingly, the tense undertone of doubt. Both of them would judge her answer as far more than simple instructions about what Ultear could do that day.

Uncertain and stalling for time, Ul glanced at Gray to gauge his reaction. But unnoticed in the drama, Gray had long since turned away from them and resumed practicing his magic, going through the shapes again. Honestly, he didn't see why it mattered. Lyon was just being stupid and stubborn — it wasn't like Ultear couldn't handle the cold. She'd made it all the way there in a hospital gown, after all.

They were just pointlessly wasting time. Time that could be better spent training — getting stronger.

Even feeling the weight of three stares on his back, Gray pointedly ignored them and brought his hands together again in the usual stance. Fueled by his irritation, the Ice Fountain he created was much taller this time around.

"Gray," Ul sighed, before shaking her head. "You have to keep calm. The image was too brittle that time."

As she spoke, the spikes of ice in front of him crumbled into nothing, unable to maintain their shape. Gray nodded without turning around and moved to try again.

"Alright," Ul decided. "Tear, take off your shoes, but keep the shirt on, okay? You don't have anything under it anyway, and I'd prefer if at least one you maintained some concept of basic modesty."

It was Ultear's turn to shoot a triumphant look at Lyon, and he glared back balefully. The exchange wasn't lost on Ul, but she could only frown faintly and hope that they would learn to get along.

Unfortunately, that looked like more and more of a forlorn hope.

~.~.~


	4. Where the heart is

~.~.~

 **Title:** Our Family

 **Notes:** Gray is basically my favorite character, and I am one hundred percent unable to separate my biases from my writing. Urgh.

~.~.~

 **4\. Where the heart is**

Ul's cabin had two bedrooms, but she and her students had only used one for all three of them. Ul's own room, which she had once shared with her daughter to better keep an eye on the girl and her illness, had remained untouched.

It was a tight fit with four people, but Ul had decided it was better to squeeze in together than try to work through the logistical headache of splitting up between the rooms.

Take Ultear with her and leave the boys in the other room? Lyon would be upset, no matter how logical it was to divide by gender. Put the children together and return to her own bedroom? She'd be lucky to have a second bedroom left, with how they were getting on. Keep the previous arrangement and leave Ultear alone in the other room? After what Ultear had been through, being alone at night was the last thing she needed. Gray had been the same way.

No, better for all of them to just stay together. Spreading out the sleeping mats and blankets across the floor, they just barely fit side by side.

"This way, even ice wizards like us will have enough body heat to go around," Ul joked as they settled down for the night. "Good night... Gray, Lyon, Tear."

~.~.~

Ul was right that sleeping in the same room like this helped with the nightmares, but it didn't banish them entirely. At least Gray no longer woke up screaming, and he had even gotten used to stifling the quiet gasp as he jerked awake. Better to let Ul and Lyon keep sleeping — no reason to ruin their rest just because he was still being pathetic almost a year later.

Staring up at the shadowed ceiling, Gray let his breathing calm and blinked away the tears prickling at the corners of his eyes. It was always the same scene — Deliora and his home village, his house in ruins, his parents' bodies — and he already knew he couldn't do anything to change it. It was stupid to keep crying over it.

Instead, he needed to get stronger, strong enough to take revenge on Deliora and to never lose anyone again.

As his racing heart began to slow, Gray glanced to the side, to check if he'd disturbed the others… only to find Ultear's place empty.

He shot up, looking around frantically, but Ultear hadn't gone far. Wrapped up in her blankets, she had wedged herself between a dresser and an unused nightstand. She flinched when their eyes met, then glared as if daring him to say anything.

Frowning, Gray ran a hand through his hair and tried to decide what to do. If he'd been asked how he wanted to be treated in her place, he would have said to just leave him alone, but... Being comforted and asked what was wrong, what he'd dreamed about, if he needed anything, was always mortifying, but just having someone there had still made Gray feel better. He couldn't just leave her to huddle by herself in the dark like that.

With a sigh, Gray carefully crawled over to Ultear and settled down in front of her. She was still watching him warily, but after a moment her eyes darted over to the window instead and she pulled the blanket closer around herself. She looked scared, but Gray didn't see anything there when he glanced over his shoulder.

"What is it?" he whispered. "You cold?"

Ultear shook her head. "They're out there. I know they are."

"Who?" Gray asked. He looked again, but the window looked the same as before — just shadows from the trees on frosted glass. There was no sound except Ul and Lyon's even breathing.

"Those people who wanted my magic, who took me away from Mother," Ultear said finally, then bit her lip, as if realizing how ridiculous her claim was. Why would the Bureau of Magical Development wait outside the window to her mother's house? If they had tracked her down, they would have either taken her back or retreated to avoid Ul. They wouldn't have lingered in the night.

Gray only nodded slowly. He'd seen Deliora in enough shadows and shapes, around every corner, to understand Ultear's fear. "It's okay," he said instead. "They won't get in. Ul would freeze them dead if they tried."

Most likely unintentionally, Ul had placed herself between Ultear and the door, with Lyon on her other side, while Gray was closest to the window. With how closely they were packed together, there was no way anyone could get far enough into the room to grab Ultear without stepping on someone first.

But Ultear just glanced at the window again, apprehensive. It was too small for an adult to fit through and locked shut, but Gray supposed Ultear's fear wasn't about logic anyway, and from her frustrated expression, she knew it too.

"It's okay," Gray repeated. Puffing up a bit, he added, "They won't get past me." Quietly clapping his hands together, he gestured toward the window, and a thick sheet of ice spread over the glass. "There, now no one's getting in."

"...Won't it melt when you go to sleep? You'll have to stay awake to hold it up," Ultear pointed out, though only half heartedly. She didn't protest when Gray tugged on her blanket and pulled her out of the small space she'd wedged herself into.

"I wasn't going back to sleep anyway," Gray said. "Just leave it to me."

Pulling her blanket up to her chin as she lay down, Ultear watched him settle down next to her and look out the barricaded window. He didn't move even as her eyes began to slide shut, dutifully keeping guard.

For the first time, Ultear thought that maybe this strange boy hadn't replaced her after all. Maybe there was a place for both of them… a place for her between her mother and him.

Ultear had already drifted off to sleep when a gentle hand smoothed back her hair. "Thank you," Ul said quietly, opening her eyes and giving Gray a soft smile. "That was very kind of you."

He only shrugged in response and refused to turn to look at her. A faint blush crawled over his cheeks and the tips of his ears.

The ice was still there the next morning when Ultear woke up, though Gray ended up nearly falling asleep face first into his breakfast. That didn't stop him from offering to do the same the next night.

Ultear shook her head. "It's fine without that," she said. "You won't let them get past you, right?"

~.~.~

"I see the number of ducklings has gone up again," the shopkeeper commented to Ul.

It took her a moment to understand what the other woman was referring to. Maybe it was Ultear's fears rubbing off on her, but Ul had found herself watching every shadow and every stranger closely, almost expecting them to suddenly reveal themselves to be Magical Development Bureau agents in disguise.

Following the shopkeeper's gaze, Ul glanced over at her kids, who stood waiting not quite patiently nearby. Miraculously, they looked to be behaving themselves — if it was just Lyon and Gray, they ended up in a scuffle or a snowball fight at least half the time the moment she took her eyes off them.

Instead, Ultear and Lyon were studiously ignoring each other, and Gray had somehow ended up the sullen barrier between them. His expression of profound annoyance was undermined by the fact that he had been holding Ultear's hand and letting her all but hide behind him whenever a stranger came too close throughout their trip, all without a word of complaint.

As Ul watched, Gray reached up to irritably tug at his coat, only to find himself unable to remove it with just one hand. Catching himself and realizing that he'd tried to strip without thinking again, Gray scowled deeply and shoved his free hand into his pocket. Ul smothered a laugh; she'd been wondering why he'd managed to stay fully clothed so far.

"I suppose it has," Ul agreed with the shopkeeper. "Add a third to the usual order, alright?"

"Sure thing, Miss Ul," the shopkeeper agreed cheerily.

"I'll help carry the bags, Master Ul," Lyon volunteered as she made her way back to the children with the supplies.

"Thank you, Lyon," Ul said mildly. "It's very nice of you to volunteer." Unlike usual, when she had to order both him and Gray to help.

"I'll help too, Mother," Ultear said, shooting Lyon a quick glare, which he returned.

"Can you handle it with one hand?" he shot back.

They were practically growling, and Ul almost expected fur to fly at any moment. Gray, still caught in the middle, hunched in as if trying to disappear — despite normally being very sensitive about the minuscule difference in his and Lyon's heights.

"Hmph!" Catching themselves, Lyon and Ultear simultaneously pointedly turned away from each other, noses in the air.

Ul sighed. She loved her kids, she reminded herself. She really did.

~.~.~


	5. The source of her power

~.~.~

 **Title:** Our Family

 **Notes:** Wait, there's a plot? Well, kinda. I also continue to be very unfair to Lyon, but Gray proves himself to be just as much of a problem child, though in a different way.

~.~.~

 **5\. The source of her power**

"Ice Make: Ice Geyser!"

A tower of ice spiked up from the ground in front of Ultear, rising to nearly three times her height. Straightening out of her Ice Make stance, she turned to beam in pride at her mother.

"Good job, Tear," Ul praised. "You've really caught on quickly."

She wasn't exaggerating or being indulgent. If anything, Ul was being conservative in her observation. In terms of technique, precision, molding speed, and certainly raw magic power, Ultear had all but mastered the basics of Ice Make, in an incredibly short amount of time. Even if there were still things for her to learn, it was already clear — she was a genius wizard that would surely surpass even her mother.

Ultear's smile widened, and in her genuine happiness, she even forwent her usual gloating at Lyon. It wasn't necessary in any case — Lyon was already sulking at having been so quickly overtaken, even if he was still the best at Dynamic Ice Make out of Ul's students.

Ul hesitated for a moment. Should she tell Ultear she still had a long way to go and not to get cocky? Should she praise the boys too? Should she give them another exercise to work at, or move to freeform creation — which Lyon and Gray were still somewhat better at? Or take a break for the day?

Yes, maybe that would be for the best. If they kept training, the boys would probably try too hard and get carried away trying to catch up to Ultear. And Ultear deserved a reward too — it wouldn't be right to deprive her just to keep Lyon and Gray from getting jealous.

"Let's call it a day," Ul said. "We can spend the rest of the afternoon however you like, Tear."

Lyon huffed, but didn't protest, accepting defeat with at least some grace. Unexpectedly, it was Ul's other student that spoke up.

"No, I'm going to keep training," Gray declared, turning away from them with a scowl and shifting back into the Ice Make stance.

Ul fought down a sigh. If it wasn't one, it was the other… "It's important to take a break once in a while too, Gray," she tried to reason. "You should let you body rest, or you'll wear yourself out and stunt your growth. We can start fresh tomorrow, and I'll put you boys through your paces."

She tried to offer him a confident smile, but Gray only scowled in response. "That's just a waste time," he bit out. "I need to get stronger. I'm not going to stop until I'm strong enough to destroy Deliora!"

"Deliora? Gray, that's…" Ul trailed off, uncertain how to proceed. She had hoped that the shadow Deliora cast over Gray's heart would fade over time, but that darkness ran deeper than she had realized, and Gray was still caught in it.

Ultear glanced between them in confusion, but Lyon understood what Gray was talking about. "Quit making such a fuss," he scolded Gray. "One day's not going to make a difference, when you've got such a long way to go. It's not like you're going to be on a demon's level any time soon."

It was a painfully realistic assessment, and precisely the wrong thing to say.

"Shut up!" Gray exploded. "I'm going to beat Deliora! I'll destroy it no matter what! I'll get strong and the next time it shows up, I'll defeat it myself!"

'The next time it appears…' There was no telling when that would be. It could be years, or it could be weeks or days. Deliora appeared at random, without any rhyme or pattern, and disappeared without a trace in between. There was no preparing for it, or evacuating from its path.

But what if it really did appear tomorrow, or even a week from then? What would Gray do?

A cold, paralyzing fear crawled down Ul's spine. "Gray," she called out, kneeling in front of the boy without even thinking about it, "don't be so rash. Deliora is… it's too strong for any wizard to defeat just like that. Even I wouldn't be able to stand against it alone. Just focus on what you can do for now. Take each day at your own pace. You don't have to rush…"

The expression on Gray's face made her weak platitudes trail off, and even before he responded, she knew he wouldn't be able to accept them.

"Fine! If you're such a coward, then I'll figure it out on my own!" Gray declared, pushing past Ul — intent on going back to training. However, his hands were shaking as he tried to take the Ice Make stance, and Ul could already tell he was too agitated to give his magic a cohesive shape.

A shapeless mass of ice appeared in front of Gray, wavering as he strained to wrestle into a solid form. But a moment later it exploded into glittering fragments, the force of the ruptured magic knocking him back.

"Gray!" Ul called out worriedly, trying to reach for him again. Gray only turned away from her with a scowl.

"Master Ul," Lyon spoke up unexpectedly. "I'm going to keep training too. It's not good to slack off even for a day."

Ul sighed, realizing there was no winning this battle. "Alright, we'll leave you boys to it," she conceded. "Don't overdo it. Come on, Tear, let's head inside."

As they headed back to the cabin in silence, Ultear's tiny hand slipped into hers. "...Is it my fault?" Ultear finally asked, her voice more subdued than Ul had ever heard before. "That Gray's so upset?"

"No, it's not your fault at all," Ul said, squeezing her hand reassuringly. "Gray… has a very deep darkness inside him. He lost his home and his family to a demon, so he's very hurt and scared."

Ultear nodded slowly. "That's why he can't sleep either," she said. "He's like me. He's always seeing something in the shadows too."

"Yes, that's right," Ul said, her heart heavy for her children. "But he's not alone anymore. He has us. We're his family now, and we'll help him find a way out of the darkness. So don't worry, okay, Tear? He'll be okay."

Or so Ul hoped. But for Ultear sake, she smiled as if she had no doubts.

~.~.~

Looking over Gray's stance, Lyon huffed and shook his head. It was irritating, but also comfortingly familiar. Lyon was always making that face at Gray and lording his greater experience at Ice Make. Lyon being just a little ahead of him, the target he could easily aim for, was normal for Gray. Not like…

"You're not going to get anywhere when you're all over the place like that," Lyon scolded. "You have to balance — like Master Ul taught us. Come on, let's start from the beginning."

Gray scowled at him, just so Lyon wouldn't think he could boss Gray around, but he followed the senior apprentice's lead as they both began to go through the forms Ul had taught them, making the motions without magic.

Slowly, Gray's anger started to calm, but the frustration was still roiling deep in his gut. He had pushed it down and ignored it for a long time, focusing on studying Ul's magic and sometimes managing to get so caught up in life with her, Lyon, and then Ultear that he forgot it for a while. But it had never gone away. He couldn't forget it — Deliora's terrifying, towering shape over the ruins of his home and the bodies of his family. It was still out there somewhere, and just thinking about that made Gray's fists clench.

How could Ul tell him to just give up? Just forget about Deliora? Forget about his home, his family, and the reason they were gone forever?

Without realizing, he had curled his hands into fists again and begun to glare into the distance. His footwork faltered, and Gray stumbled a little as they moved between stances.

Lyon glanced at him, but thankfully didn't mock him. "It's annoying, right? That she's so strong?" he said instead, misinterpreting the source of Gray's frustration. "She just shows up one day, and in no time, she's better at Master Ul's magic than us, her real apprentices. It's not fair — just because she's Master Ul's daughter…"

Gray let him talk without responding. It sounded like those were more Lyon's concerns than his own. Whether Ultear was strong or not didn't really matter; her rapid progress had just underscored his own lack of such. If anything, Gray was just happy for Ul. If his parents were to come back somehow…

But they wouldn't. Because Deliora had killed them. He'd seen their bodies with his own eyes.

"She's only so powerful because of those people at the Magical Development Bureau," Lyon muttered bitterly, unaware of Gray's thoughts. "It's not like she's naturally that strong..."

"...Is that true?"

Lyon paused in surprise. He hadn't expected Gray to answer, since he rarely did before, just listening with varying degrees of annoyance to Lyon's rants. He glanced at Gray in confusion, only to find him staring back at Lyon with a strangely serious, set look.

"That's what she said," Lyon confirmed slowly, his own expression shifting into an uncertain frown. "That's what they were doing to her — making her magic stronger."

Ultear had told her mother that, while Lyon had… well, eavesdropped late one night, after another nightmare woke her. Knowing from experience with Gray that it would be simpler for everyone if he just pretended to be asleep, he had lain still and listened to Ul's soft voice comfort Ultear as the girl explained in stumbling words what the people at the Magical Development Bureau had done to her.

It had made something deep in Lyon go cold, in a way that his magic couldn't protect him from. That wasn't the kind of strength he wanted. He wanted to master Ul's Ice Make and surpass even her. Simply gaining more power… wasn't the same thing at all. Especially if was just forced onto you, instead of being earned.

Lyon huffed. "Well, I guess it's not just about how powerful she is," he admitted, mumbling. "Master Ul always says that molding magic is about a clear image and precision, not how much magic power you put in. Power doesn't matter for Ice Make. I guess Ultear's just talented…" Which was still annoying, but in a different way.

"No," Gray said, "power is important too. Without power…"

Without power, he wouldn't be able to destroy Deliora. Wasn't that the issue? That no wizard — no human — was powerful enough to face a demon? If he had more power…

If Ul didn't want to, couldn't, make him strong enough to fight Deliora. If those people could give him more power, like they did to Ultear…

Watching him brood, Lyon felt a growing sense of unease. But he didn't say anything.

~.~.~


	6. What you choose

~.~.~

 **Title:** Our Family

 **Notes:** Well, this escalated quickly, huh? There is no world where Gray does not run off and do something stupid, I guess… Also, some of you might catch a fundamental issue that everyone's overlooked because they're being emotional. It'll probably be addressed in the next few chapters.

~.~.~

 **6\. What you choose**

"Where's Gray?"

That question had been on Ul's mind since she'd woken that morning to find the spot closest to the window empty, the blankets neatly folded up. That wasn't like Gray, and the fact that he'd managed to sneak out past her, Ultear, and Lyon was surprising. He rarely tried that, even when he couldn't sleep.

But Ul had let it go and gone to get the fire started and make breakfast. Now, with Ultear and Lyon drowsily sitting around the table, she felt a sharp sting of worry. She'd even gone outside and called to him, but the snow around the back door was undisturbed. How long ago had he left?

Ultear and Lyon had looked up at her questioningly, and the expression on her face made them quickly blink away their lingering sleepiness. They glanced around as if realizing his absence for the first time.

"...Did he go out to train early?" Lyon suggested. Gray had done that sometimes, and he'd been restless the last few days, since Ultear's demonstration.

"He knows better than to go far," Ul said. "And I didn't see any sign of him outside…" She looked at her other two children, now frowning uneasily at their plates, and came to a decision. "I'm going to look for him. You two, stay here and keep the doors locked. I'll be back soon." Hopefully. "Will you be okay, Tear?"

Ultear stared at her in surprise before she understood what Ul was worried about. "I'll be fine," she said. "I'm not scared anymore. I want to help you look — I'm strong now. I can protect myself."

Ul hesitated for a moment, before nodding sharply. "Alright, then I'll head north, you and Lyon head south. Head back once you reach the mountain, if you don't see anything. He couldn't have gone further for training. Stay together, you two — no matter what. I mean it."

She underlined the last order with her sternest look, but thankfully the two children seemed uninterested in arguing for once. Packing up their breakfast to eat on the road, they set out into the snow.

~.~.~

They didn't find anything.

Well, that was not entirely accurate. They didn't find Gray. But finally, Ul was able to find a few faded tracks — broken branches and other things that couldn't be covered by the morning snow — which finally led out to the road.

"He must have left early, even before dawn, for all other traces to be covered," Ul summarized, when they gathered at the cabin again. "It looks like he took some food with him, too. And… he left a note." She'd found it among his folded blankets. It was short, just a thank you and a goodbye. 'Gray, what have you done?' Ul wondered, biting her lip hard enough to draw blood.

"...Do you think he did what he was talking about? Going to look for that Deliora?" Ultear asked, carefully pronouncing the unfamiliar name.

Ul paled before quickly shaking her head. "He couldn't have. Where would he even go? Deliora has been missing for over a year. There's no telling where it'll appear next."

That was the truth. There was no way for Gray to run off to face the Demon of Destruction. It wasn't possible… but that didn't stop Ul's heart from racing at just the thought. She had only seen the devastation in the aftermath, but imagining her student trying to face something like that made her gut churn.

"Could he be going back to his hometown?" she murmured to herself. "Or…?"

There was just no way to tell where he went once he hit the main road, and his headstart was too big. Should she chase after him? Then what about Lyon and Ultear? She couldn't leave them, but she couldn't just drag them along on a wild goose chase either.

Lyon fidgeted as he glanced between Ul, distracted and worried, and Ultear, watching her mother closely but otherwise expressionless. "Maybe… we should let him go," he said finally the thing that had been on his mind. "It's Gray's decision, isn't it? If he wants to leave, we shouldn't stop him."

"Lyon…" Ul sighed in disappointment.

"It's true!" Lyon protested. "It's not like someone took him or made him leave. He chose that on his own. If he doesn't want to be here anymore, why are you forcing him to stay? Just let him go!"

Ultear turned her unreadable gaze toward him now, but she neither agreed nor disagreed. There was no way to tell what she was thinking.

"Because I'm responsible for all of you," Ul said, frowning. "Because you're just children. Gray's not thinking clearly. He's still haunted by Deliora. He might think this is what he needs, but is it really? To be alone, without anyone to help him or support him? Whatever power he obtains won't be true strength. And what if he takes off after Deliora when it reappears? He'll die! You are all my children, and I will protect you — even from your own foolishness, until you become fine wizards who can protect themselves."

For several long moments, she and Lyon locked gazes, but in the end he looked away, scowling miserably. "I'm not a kid," he muttered, knowing that made him sound even more childish.

But he couldn't deny that he understood. She was right. He knew, after all, how terribly Deliora had scarred Gray, how he couldn't sleep at night without waking up screaming, how he'd been almost hollow when it came to anything except revenge when he first joined them. Gray wasn't like Lyon — he hadn't decided to find a "teacher" and set out to do so.

"Yes, you are. You are my child, Lyon," Ul said, sighing again and reaching out to pet his hair. "And so is Gray."

Gray... needed their help.

And Ultear was the same, wasn't she? She had needed Ul.

Lyon pouted, feeling like he was losing — losing the self-righteous needed to keep resenting Ul's other children. Maturing, even a little, and realizing you were in the wrong wasn't a feeling Lyon found he enjoyed.

Ultear looked between them, silently coming to some conclusion of her own. She nodded sharply. "You should go," she said.

"My Tear… thank you," Ul said. "I still have some old friends I can contact to keep an eye out for him, and I'll try to intercept him on the way to his hometown, since that's the best lead we have."

Unnoticed by the other two, Lyon flinched. Should he tell them? It wasn't like he knew for sure. And they'd probably blame him for not dissuading Gray or telling Ul sooner…

But he was Ul's student. If he wanted to hold his head up proudly, he couldn't run away just because it was unpleasant.

Straightening his shoulders and taking a deep breath, Lyon said, "I don't think Gray's going after Deliora, not right now." He cringed a little as Ul and Ultear turned toward him. "He… mentioned something… that he wanted to become as powerful as Ultear. So I think he might have… gone to that Bureau place…"

...That wasn't exactly what happened, but close enough, right?

This time, both Ul and Ultear paled, eyes widening in shock and horror. They surged to their feet and shouted at once, "We have to go after him!"

Then, Ul hesitated. All her earlier doubts returned — the reasons why she hadn't gone after the Bureau in the first place. "But… I can't just storm off," she muttered, gritting her teeth. "There's no telling how large their organization is… and I can't endanger you two. I have to think of you too…" How was she supposed to choose between her children? Which to protect, which to endanger?

Ultear scowled furiously, showing more emotion than Lyon had seen from her since her tears the first night. "You can't just abandon him! Isn't he part of our family too?" she yelled. "I-if you won't go, I will!"

It wasn't easy for her to say — she was trembling in fear as well as anger. As Lyon and Ul stared at her, shocked at her vehemence, Ultear forced back tears that welled up instinctively at the memory of that place. But she couldn't afford to keep being afraid.

"T-that day…" she recalled in a trembling voice, "I was going to run away a-and go back there because I thought you didn't love me anymore. But he stopped me. So I won't let him go to that place either!"

There was a long moment of silence. Then, Ul smiled, slow and helpless. 'What can I say to that?' she wondered. 'This girl…' "Alright," she agreed. "Just… stay close to me. I'll protect you, I promise."

She turned to the last of her wards with a worried expression, but before she could say anything, Lyon crossed his arms stubbornly and declared, "I'm coming too." Flushing, he avoided their eyes sullenly. "I'm the senior apprentice, you know! I-it's my responsibility!"

"...I'm still the oldest," Ultear deadpanned.

It took them a moment to realize she was making a joke. Probably.

Feeling a sudden break in the tension, Ul began to laugh, deep and unrestrained. "What am I going to do with you kids?" she wondered. "You're too much. All of you are just… too precious." Wiping away tears and still chuckling intermittently, she said, "But for something like this, I think I know a person we can ask..."

~.~.~


	7. The source of her power, true ver

~.~.~

 **Title:** Our Family

 **Notes:** Unexpected cameo?! Well, partially, this is based on the Ice Trail prequel. But tbh Ice Trail is a jumbled mess in terms of worldbuilding details, so I'm not exactly focusing on being true to it or anything. Also, Lyon is the only one with common sense. He'll become a fine adult one day.

Special notes at the bottom.

~.~.~

 **7\. The source of her power ~true ver.~**

Another explosion reverberated through the Magical Development Bureau facility — already, the upper tip of the crescent moon had broken off, and the entire structure had begun to sway slightly while groaning ominously. Panicked employees ran screaming in halls, trying to escape the sudden attack.

Ul glanced around, frowning. "Ah, this is bad," she muttered. "I'm not nearly done yet. Ice Make: Thorn Bind!"

Icy vines ensnared the entire building, anchoring with their thorns, and with a final groan, the crescent moon stopped shaking. It would stand as long as Ul wanted — and it would collapse entirely when she willed.

There was a low whistle from the wizard who brought up behind her. "You know," Gildarts drawled, "when you said there was something you wanted my help with, this was not what I imagined."

"Why? Are you scared?" Ul spared him a glance and a rather unfriendly smirk.

"Honestly? Kinda," Gildarts admitted, doing his best to shrug awkwardly. It was hard with both arms occupied — when the action started, he had decided it was wisest to just carry a kid under each arm, rather than risk losing track of them.

Neither Lyon nor Ultear had been anything resembling pleased with this arrangement, both insisting they were wizards and capable of taking care of themselves. While Gildarts didn't necessary disagree — kids their age could join guilds and take quests, after all — he had an increasing lack of desire to risk Ul's wrath.

Their magic was pretty good, he was willing to admit, but no amount of their kiddy Ice Make would make him drop them. Lyon and Ultear had certainly tried to stick him full of icicles enough times to confirm.

"Is it just me, or are you a hell of a lot stronger than last year?" Gildarts went on, glancing around at the damage. "Been training?"

Ul chuckled distractedly, making a gesture like she was beckoning to the empty corridor ahead of them. "Not much. Haven't had the time — apprentices are a full-time job."

"So that's why you stopped showing up and stealing my quests," Gildarts surmised. "Then, after last year is when the apprentice workload increased…"

"Are you still bitter about that? If you don't want someone else to finish jobs before you do them, do them faster," Ul told him without sympathy.

That was how they met — Gildarts, who had come to Isvan with a copy of every job request to come out of the country in the last few years and set about systematically carrying them out, found himself occasionally arriving too late, the quest completed by Isvan's most famous wizard. Eventually, they had ended up crossing paths a few times as they took on the same jobs, though Ul took them out of concern for her country's people, rather than any particular interest in the reward.

The last time had been about a year ago, just before she'd taken in Gray. With just Lyon, Ul hadn't worried too much about leaving him home alone or bringing him and letting him wait in a nearby village. But Gray and especially Ultear left her too worried to take her eyes off them for long — with good reason, it would seem.

"Ah, there we go," Ul commented suddenly, as an icy vine stretched toward them from further down the corridor. Wrapped tightly in it was a whimpering Bureau member, who wailed and tried to struggle as he caught sight of Ul. Snatching him by the collar, Ul slammed him against the wall. "Now, talk! Where's Gray?"

"I don't know!" the man wailed. "I don't know what that is!"

"My student!" Ul shook him sharply.

"We didn't receive any orders about your student! A-and Brain-sama said retrieving the girl wasn't worth fighting you! I swear!"

An ever present fear Ultear hadn't even realized haunted her finally dissolved, hearing that. She really was safe, with her mother at her side.

"Then where's your boss? Where's this Brain?" Ul pressed, unrelenting.

"Brain-sama disappeared! He's abandoned us!" The man was openly sobbing in terror now. "He- he said he no longer had need for us or this facility!"

Rather than feeling sympathy, Ul only scowled darkly at the pathetic wreck in her grasp. "Where are the other subjects? And your other branches?" When he only continued to whimper, she shook him again. "Well? Speak!"

"There aren't any! The girl was the last remaining subject!" The implication of what had happened to the other subjects made both Ul and Gildarts grind their teeth. "We have no other experimentation facilities! Only waypoints for meetings and supply lines! Please… please don't kill me!"

The look Ul gave him was full of nothing but contempt. "You're not worth killing," she said darkly, and threw him out the broken window. The man started to scream, but was quickly cut off as the vine still wrapped around his foot stopped his fall, leaving him hanging upside helplessly.

Glancing around the debilitated corridor, Ul shook her head.

"Sounds like there isn't anything left here for us," she said. "Let's go."

They were about halfway up in the crescent moon, but Ul didn't hesitate when climbing out the window, stepping onto a thick icy branch instead and having it lower her to the ground. Gildarts simply jumped, landing lightly next to her. He followed after Ul as she moved away from the structure, setting the kids back on their feet now that they were no longer in battle.

Finally, Ul drew to a stop. "This should be far enough," she said, then turned to give her daughter a tight smile. "Are you ready, Tear? I'm going to tear it down — all of it."

Ultear's eyes widened, and she slowly looked toward the building where she had suffered so much.

Raising her hand, Ul clenched it into a fist. "Strangle," she commanded, and the vines constricted.

The remaining structure suddenly and violently crumbled, cut into pieces by the ice. With a deafening groan, it collapsed in on itself, sending up a cloud of dust and debris. Something inside exploded, sending a wave of hot air washing over them. No one looked away; silently, they watched the Magical Development Bureau fall apart and burn.

Ul gently laid her hand on her daughter's shoulder, and after a moment, Ultear reached up to take it instead. Her small fingers curled around Ul's palm and held tightly, but her eyes were dry and her expression was simply intent.

When the remains of the Bureau facility were completely hidden by the clouds of dust and pillars of smoke, Ultear finally closed her eyes and let her shoulders slump in deep, all-pervading relief.

It was finally over. The place of her nightmares was gone.

"Yeah. Definitely scary," Gildarts muttered, breaking the atmosphere.

Turning to him, Ul smiled. "Thank you for coming," she said. "You didn't have any obligation to, but I'm grateful for your help."

"Doesn't seem like you needed it," Gildarts pointed out, shrugging. In the end, he'd only really watched the kids, and while he could understand her worry for them, they hadn't been in any real danger either. With a leering grin, he added, "But I'm always glad to help a lovely lady like yourself."

"Try again," Ul suggested, still smiling tolerantly.

Something deep in the Bureau ruins exploded again. Gildarts quickly amended, "Uh. I'm always happy to help out a fellow S-class?"

"That's right, you were amazing, Master Ul!" Lyon butted in, beaming at Ul, then shooting Gildarts an incredibly dirty look, which only made the man smirk a bit. "I always knew you were the strongest wizard in Isvan, but seeing your power is really something else!"

Her attention drawn for a moment by the commotion, Ultear glanced at them and nodded slowly in agreement.

Ul only shook her head. "There are many wizards much stronger than I am," she reminded them. "And… Gildarts is right. I couldn't have used this kind of power even a year ago. This power… it's only for protecting you two and Gray. It's because I'm fighting for all of you that I can be this strong."

Blushing, Lyon ducked his head and mumbled something under his breath. Even Ultear managed a smile, coming a little out of her shell.

"But the kid wasn't here," Gildarts noted. "Did we just get here ahead of him?" They had gone all the way to the opposite side of Isvan, after all, and they hadn't skimped on getting the fastest tickets.

"I don't know," Ul admitted, growing serious and troubled again. "They said this was the only research facility, but he might have been at one of the stopover locations, or…" She let out a sharp breath of frustration.

"Um…" Lyon spoke up uncertainly. "I've been thinking this for a while, but… Would Gray even know how to get here? I mean, I don't think we ever talked about where this place is. Is it something you can find out easily...?"

Slowly, Ul and Gildarts exchanged a look. "Don't look at me. I'm not from around here, I'd never heard of this ministry or whatever," he said quickly.

Ul facepalmed, wincing. "No, it… it isn't easy to find," she admitted. If anything, the Bureau was closer to a secret organization hidden under layers of misdirection. She'd only been able to contact them by using the connections she'd made as Isvan's top wizard, and she'd had to pull every string she could to do it.

Thinking logically, unless the Bureau had been specifically looking to recruit him, there was no way her eight year old student would have been able to just go to them to begin with.

Ul had just panicked and forgotten to stop and think.

She sighed heavily in realization, then shook her head and straightened. "Well, it's for the best in the end," Ul decided. "It's not like I regret it or anything. Come on, let's get in touch with the Magic Council, so they can come pick up all the small fry I caught and froze. Then, I'll have my old contacts keep an eye out for Gray. He'll probably be asking around about the Bureau."

When she glanced toward Gildarts, he shrugged. "I'll come along to the council office. I need to file my completed quests anyway," he said. "Including this babysitting job I got from a certain Ms. Milkovich…"

The joke was not well received. He winced as both Lyon and Ultear stomped on his feet for referring to it as such.

~.~.~

 **Notes where the author complains a lot:** Okay, but seriously guys. Where is Isvan? Actually, what is Isvan? Is it a country? A region? A province of an existing country?

If you look up a world map for Fairy Tail, you can get a map of Ishgar, which is basically a lot like Europe, with Fiore as France. Okay. But Isvan is not anywhere on it. Now, I've seen Isvan referred to as "the Northern Continent" a lot in the fandom, but I don't remember where this is actually said in the manga/anime itself. In general, Isvan seems to be under Magic Council jurisdiction — Ul was supposed to be a candidate for the Wizard Saints, Gildarts accepts quests from there (implying that Isvan functions under the same guild system), etc. So I would assume Isvan is in Ishgar as well.

In Ice Trail, Gildarts is called "the strongest in the west" and when Gray goes to Fiore, he heads west. Which makes sense, Fiore is on the west-most part of Ishgar. So that means Isvan is in the east? Going by the map, that would put it on the far north-east side of Pergrande Kingdom (which seems to be the Europe-based part of Russia, maybe?), the unlabeled gray area.

So that would make Isvan kind of… Asia? Siberia? I don't even know.

(Of course, in Ice Trail, Gray just kinda… crosses a river… to get to "the kingdom" which is probably Fiore… which would put Isvan as a province somewhere in Bosco or something? Ice Trail was a mess tbh.)

~.~.~


	8. Reunion

~.~.~

 **Title:** Our Family

 **Notes:** Gray's kind of an idiot at this age. Well, he's always kind of an idiot — he and Natsu have some shockingly similar tendencies, to be honest. Again, I'm… selectively applying some parts of Ice Trail (and mangling a very Engrish name, haha).

~.~.~

 **8\. Reunion**

Even with her self-imposed exile and hermit-like way of living, Ul was still Isvan's strongest and most well-known wizard. So it wasn't surprising that, when she stormed into the Magic Council's Isvan branch and all but ordered them to arrest the former Bureau employees, no one had dared to question her too much.

They'd find plenty of evidence of the Bureau's illegal practices soon enough, even with Ul's destruction of most of the facility. Or even more likely, they'd had evidence already and simply hesitated to act on it, as was so often the case with the Council. Out in a backwater like Isvan, Ishgar's governing body was even more useless than in the west.

"E-excuse me, Master Ul?" a breathless messenger approved Ul uncertainly, making her realize she'd begun to glare at the Council employees scurrying around.

"I'm not a guild leader. You don't need to call me Master," she said. "What is it?"

"Retired Councilman Torch has requested your presence," the messenger relayed, then shifted awkwardly again. "...As soon as possible."

Glancing toward the children, who had long since grown bored with the proceedings and found themselves a corner to stay out of the way — Lyon absently making small ice birds, Ultear still lost in her own thoughts even as she carelessly swung her feet — Ul considered for a moment calling them over. But there was a limit to paranoia, and she couldn't keep dragging them around everywhere.

"Lyon, Tear, I'll be back in a bit. Don't go anywhere," she called out instead. They nodded unenthusiastically, even Ultear barely glancing her way.

Despite nominally falling under the jurisdiction of the Ishgar Magic Council, Isvan was rarely represented there. Councilman Torch Endever had been the only individual born in Isvan to ever sit on the Council, until his retirement a few years prior. Even after retiring, he continued his work to help his homeland — given that he was still the closest to a representative Isvan had.

That made him one of the few former council members not to hide his address and whereabouts after the end of his term, but whether you considered that courage or foolishness was a matter of interpretation.

In any case, he was someone Ul was familiar with and held a certain respect for. They shared the same love for their homeland and had often worked together over the years. So she was willing to see what he wanted, and perhaps she'd ask for his help. It was either that, or start putting out Missing posters…

"Councilman Torch, Master Ul is here to see you," the messenger announced after knocking, then scurried away without waiting for a reply.

There was something that sounded suspiciously like a quick scuffle inside before Torch called back, "Come in!"

The reason for the scuffle was immediately obvious when Ul stepped inside — the retired councilman wasn't the only one in the office. Next to him, held firmly by the collar of his coat and scowling sulkily, was Gray.

"It's good to see you again, Ul," Torch greeted her, smiling genially. "Now, if I'm not mistaken, I believe this young man is your student, correct?"

"Old man, you traitor…" Gray grumbled under his breath. "You said you'd help…"

"Don't think too badly of me, Gray-kun. You'll understand when you're older," Councilman Torch told him mildly. To Ul, he added, "My men picked him up after he was involved in an… incident. I recognized your magic style, and I couldn't imagine you letting one of your students go off on his own just like that, so I wanted to confirm if this child is perhaps a runaway…?"

Ul finally let out the breath she'd been unconsciously holding since catching sight of Gray there. She sighed, more in relief than in exasperation. "Yes," she said. "He is. I was going to ask for your help searching for him… I'm glad he turned up safe and sound."

"Well, that's good then," the former councilman said, releasing Gray and stepping back to give them some space.

Gray shot him a dirty look, though it seemed mostly a bid not to look at Ul. As she stepped closer, he fidgeted awkwardly, and his eyes darted abortively in her direction. He flinched when Ul reached out — and froze in surprise when she only patted him gently on the head.

"I'm glad you're alright," Ul said, kneeling in front of him. "We've been so worried, Gray."

"...You're not mad?" Gray wondered, glancing at her uncertainly. "I mean, I ran away… and went to look for… um…" If she didn't know, he didn't want to admit it.

"Lyon told me," Ul said dryly. "I was pretty mad, but mostly I was worried for you. Do you understand what would have happened to you if you did find them? Tear doesn't like to talk about it, but the things they did to her were cruel and painful, Gray. You—"

"I don't care! That's fine by me!" Gray burst out. "If that means I can get strong enough to destroy Deliora, then… then…" He slumped just as quickly as he'd flared up, admitting, "But then I didn't know where to go, and I got lost… and I got into a fight and the magic police guys picked me up. I thought the old man might help me find those Bureau people, but I guess he just told you instead..."

The story was a bit jumbled, but Ul thought she understood the gist of what had happened.

"I'm sorry, Gray," she said, catching the boy off guard. He stared at her in surprise — that had been the last thing he'd expected her to say. "I shouldn't have dismissed your feelings. I wanted you to just forget about Deliora, without considering everything you've been through. I should have understood you couldn't just let it go and live as if it had never happened."

Unlike the usual reaction, he didn't protest or try to move away when she pulled him into a tight hug, and after a long moment, he even reached up to hug her back. No matter how determined, he was only eight, after all, and being alone had been hard on him. Ul wasn't the only one to be glad to be reunited.

She meant what she'd said too. She hadn't understood until she saw Ultear's relief, soul-deep and all-encompassing, at watching the Magical Development Bureau be destroyed. There were things that weighed too deeply on the heart and mind, simply their continued existence casting an inescapable shadow.

To Ul, just being together was enough, and she had been able to put those threats to their happiness out of her mind and go on living as if they didn't exist. But Ultear had seen the Bureau in every stranger, and Gray had remembered the terror of Deliora every day. They couldn't be truly free or happy until they saw those things destroyed.

Well, if that was the case…

"I will help you," Ul said, pulling back and looking Gray in the eye. "If Deliora must be defeated for you to be safe and happy, then we'll make sure it happens. But you must promise me not to do anything reckless. Don't run off by yourself — if something is wrong, tell me. Don't try to fight it yourself. Promise me."

Gray stared at her in shock, having expected anything except an offer of support. Unbidden, tears began to well up in his eyes, and he tried to hold back a pathetic sniffle.

"Promise me, Gray," Ul repeated, shaking him a little.

Flinching in surprise, he jerked his head up and down woodenly. "I p-promise," he stammered, shoulders heaving as he tried to bite back his tears. "I promise, Ul!"

"That's good then," Ul sighed, smiling in relief and gently petting him. Standing, she took his hand and tugged him toward the door. "Come on, Lyon and Tear have been worried too. We should let them know you're alright."

Shooting a quick glance to Councilman Torch, who only waved them away with a smile, Ul lead Gray back to where she had left the other two. Although she didn't let her steps hesitate or falter, she worried how Lyon and Ultear would receive them. They were all good children, but it was hard to deny they had a certain friction between them and their relationship wasn't always the best.

For once, she worried without reason.

Lyon spotted them first and immediately jumped to his feet, a wide smile spreading across his face. "Gray! You're okay!" he exclaimed. Despite their usual animosity, he had never intended for something bad to happen to Gray because of his careless words, and he had begun to feel more and more guilty as time went on.

Unused to this amount of goodwill from his fellow student, Gray stared openly, then quickly looked away with an embarrassed blush.

Ultear's head snapped up, her eyes immediately locking on Gray. She didn't even bother saying anything, only rushing to his side and engulfing him in a tight hug. "'M sorry I didn't notice," she mumbled into his coat's collar. "Even though you were always helping me…"

"U-um… it's no big deal," Gray muttered in return, awkwardly patting her on the back. "Sorry I ran off without saying anything. It was stupid…"

"It was very stupid, but that's what we expect from the youngest," Lyon said imperiously. "As your elder students and siblings, we'll graciously forgive you this time."

Gray scowled at Lyon's attitude, even though it put him at ease with its familiarity. "Who's asking for your forgiveness anyway?" he grumbled. "You—"

"Alright, you three," Ul spoke up before they could keep going straight into another fight, "I need to talk to Councilman Torch about something, so wait here. Don't cause any trouble, and don't go anywhere. Got it?"

"Yes, Master Ul!" Lyon sounded off immediately, while Gray muttered an agreement of his own. Ultear only nodded, already holding Gray's hand again, as if to prevent him from running off.

As Ul headed back to the retired councilman's office, she caught a glimpse of the three of them huddling together, excitedly sharing what they had been up to.

~.~.~

Months later, when they were in town and the rumors reached them, Ul glanced worriedly toward Gray — but he only met her gaze solemnly, as if affirming their promise.

Deliora had reappeared in Brago. They would stop it, but they would do it together.

~.~.~


	9. From the west

~.~.~

 **Title:** Our Family

 **Notes:** Let's be honest — this is not a plot story. It's just me making myself feel better about this stupid ice family. So eh, believable and realistic are not really high on the priority list.

I think this is some pretty heavy overkill, btw, and Ul and Gildarts alone could probably do it by themselves (though we don't really know how strong/weak it actually was). But safety margins are good!

~.~.~

 **9\. From the west**

 _Councilman Torch regarded Ul thoughtfully for a moment after she slipped back into his office. "So, Deliora then," he said finally. "You're serious about trying to defeat it?"_

 _"Yeah, I am," Ul said. "It's not like we can just let it keep rampaging all over the country. We have to stop it…"_

 _"The question is how," Torch agreed. He sighed heavily, looking older than ever — and he had retired years ago, for a reason. "A demon from the Books of Zeref… that's not something even you can match. Don't think I have been ignoring it — I asked the Council for help, so many times, but…"_

 _But the Magic Council was always slow to act, even in the face of a crisis, and they were afraid. Everything of Zeref inspired an instinctual fear in wizards who followed the light. Even more than its power, that association made Deliora appear unapproachable and insurmountable._

 _Ul scowled and clenched her fists. "If we can't count on them, then we'll just have to protect Isvan ourselves," she said. Sighing a little, she thought, 'But maybe I can ask that guy again, even if he is from the west…'_

~.~.~

Even the usually flippant Gildarts looked rattled as they watched the thick, dark pillars of smoke billow into the sky in the distance. It went against Ul's every instinct to just stand there and observe while the city burned, but Brago was long gone. They would fight Deliora in its ruins, but there was nothing they could do for the city itself.

Gray's expression was completely blank as he stared fixedly into the distance, at the dark figure among the flames. He clutched Ultear's hand so tightly that his knuckles were turning white, but she held back just as tightly, without protest.

"This is crazy," Gildarts muttered, shifting impatiently from foot to foot. "You're crazy. I'm crazy. I can't believe we're actually doing this."

"Do you want to back out?" Ul asked him bluntly, but Gildarts only huffed and shot her an annoyed look.

"I said I'd do this, and I will," he told her. "I accepted this quest — my guild's reputation is on the line now. And… you know… as a wizard, it's not like I can just look away from something like this…" He seemed oddly embarrassed to admit to being a good person.

"You're strong, right? And Master Ul is with you, so you'll be alright," Lyon assured him.

"Thanks. Having the great Master Ul with me definitely makes me feel better about maybe trying to take on a demon with just two people," Gildarts said dryly.

"Then, you think they're not coming?" Ul asked.

"I don't know who's coming," Gildarts said. "Or who's not coming. It's…" He gestured vaguely. "I didn't get an answer. It's not easy trying to get something set up across the continent, you know? So it might end up being just us. And I've got plenty of confidence in my skills, and yours, but I wish we had some better idea of what we're up against."

The general reaction to demons, especially Zeref's demons, was to run, not fight. So they didn't even know for sure if their magic would work. There were legends… Well, they'd know the truth soon enough.

"Are… are you going to be alright, Ul?" Gray spoke up. Tearing his eyes away from Deliora's figure in the distance, he looked up at Ul with fear and concern. "You said… you said before that even you're not strong enough to stop it, so maybe… if it's too strong… you shouldn't… Ul, I don't want you to die too! Not even for our promise!"

His outburst gave Ul a bittersweet feeling of both happiness and sadness. He'd grown so much, and he was trying so hard, but he shouldn't have hard to bear that burden in the first place. "Thank you for worrying, Gray, but it'll be alright," she said. "It's dangerous, but if turns out to be too much, then we'll get as much information as we can and retreat for now, so we can come up with a better plan." Kneeling in front of Gray, she ruffled his hair with a small smile. "It's probably not the kind of dramatic victory you'd like to see, but we will find a way to defeat it — I swear."

Slowly and uncertainly, Gray nodded in acknowledgement. "Just... be careful, okay? It's not… It's not worth it, if you die too," he mumbled.

"I won't die," Ul repeated firmly. She had too much to live for, and too much to lose. She wouldn't leave her children alone.

"Huh," Gildarts said suddenly. He was staring westward with an odd expression that wasn't quite incredulous, but conveyed a certain chagrined disbelief. "Well, it looks like someone came. I think?"

His confusion was well founded, and the others couldn't help but stare in the same way as they turned to look west. Finally, Lyon voiced what they were all thinking. "Is that… a tree?"

It was. What looked like the foliage of a massive tree was rapidly approaching their location, stretching out from somewhere past the horizon. In moments, it was upon them — a giant branch bending down to the ground and the rest quickly withering into nothing.

Three wizards stepped off, brushing stray leaves from their shoulders. "Good, looks like we made it in time," the shortest, an old man with a thick mustache, commented.

Ul looked toward Gildarts to explain. "This old man is my guild master, Makarov Dreyar," he said, looking annoyed. "He'd one of the Ten Wizard Saints chosen by the Council, so I thought he might have more luck getting them to do something, but apparently not. Though it looks like he did manage to get some help."

Makarov shook his head, scowling. "The Council dithered a lot and couldn't agree whether to send anyone," he said. "The usual — it's a threat, terrible business, of course they should do something, but actually taking action? It'll be another decade before they make up their minds. I tried appealing directly to the other Wizard Saints, but only Master Warrod and young Jura here agreed to help of their own will."

The youngest of the three bowed his head, a serious, solemn look on his young but solid features. "It's disgraceful that the Council would ignore this travesty," he said. "As a member of the Ten Wizard Saints, it is my duty to assist you."

Makarov and Gildarts exchanged a look that implied something like amusement at his youthful optimism and dedication. Only a young fool would volunteer to go fighting a demon in a foreign country on the other side of the continent out of a self-appointed duty. It was easy to tell Jura had only recently become one the Ten Saints. Still, it wasn't a bad thing that he took his position so seriously, especially since it worked in their favor.

"I'm just here to watch!" the last of their group, the one Makarov had called Master Warrod, laughed blithely. "Ah… that's a joke." After a moment of uncertain silence, he added, "Well, not really. My magic isn't much when it comes to attacking. So I can't help you anyway. It would be better to say that I'm here just to observe… But you can leave the children to me. I won't let anything happen to them."

He patted Gray on the head, making the boy stare in surprise — though it might have been the fact that Warrod resembled nothing so much as a talking tree.

It took a moment before anyone could respond. Suddenly, their group had doubled in size, after all, and the situation was looking rather different. Unexpectedly, through the kindness of strangers, the odds seemed to be turning in their favor.

Lyon and Ultear exchanged a look of confusion over Gray's head. 'Westerners… are they really that powerful? Are they really going to help?'

"Ah… All the same, having two of the Wizard Saints fight beside us is a great help," Ul finally said diplomatically. "I… assume you will be fighting as well, Master Makarov? Are you certain? This fight is... dangerous, and you have no obligation to help."

"Yeah, old man. I didn't expect you come in person," Gildarts said. "Spare a thought for your age. We can probably handle it."

"Humph. Don't underestimate me just because I haven't been taking missions for a while. I'm still the strongest in the guild," Marakov said. "And I know you. You're stubborn. Even if no one came, you'd try to take that thing on by yourself. There's strength in numbers — isn't that the purpose a guild? And our guild won't leave anyone to fight alone. Not even a brat as annoying as you."

Watching them bicker goodnaturedly, Ul cracked a small smile. She had never been in a guild, but she had heard of western guilds and the way some of them saw each other as family. 'They really are good people,' she thought, 'to help just because it's the right thing to do.'

Suddenly, she just knew — they would be alright.

They would win.

~.~.~


	10. We will always be family

~.~.~

 **Title:** Our Family

 **Notes:** WELP. I never said I was good at endings. :/ I was actually planning to skip the battle scene and go straight to the epilogue, but ended up writing it anyway…? I'm not sure what was going on with this chapter. I kept rewriting parts of it, and it. just. wouldn't. end. Final notes at the end.

~.~.~

 **10\. We will always be family**

They would win.

It went without saying, in a way. Four wizards on the level of the Ten Saints would not lose to one demon, no matter how much destruction it had wrought.

But even from a distance, it was truly a fight to witness.

Gray couldn't stop himself from cringing when Deliora roared, the sheer pressure of it rolling over the landscape and the watching group. Just like in his memories, a blast of devastating power gathered in its maw — the demon's most powerful attack, which could carve through an entire city.

Squeezing his hand, Ultear whispered that it would be alright.

A pale blue light shone, and a tangle of ice vines wrapped around Deliora's entire body, halting its attack. It took the demon only moments to break the ice bindings, but the distraction was enough. A massive hand slammed into Deliora's jaw, and an equally large giant of a man — with Makarov's familiar mustache — shoved the demon back.

By comparison, Gildarts's tiny figure darting along Makarov's arm and leaping at Deliora was barely visible. Only the light of his powerful Crash magic marked when he collided with the demon, with enough force to dent its armored chest.

But Gildarts was used to opponents that were humans or monsters, which faltered or became afraid or were destroyed entirely under his magic. Deliora neither hesitated nor paused. Reaching out, it grabbed him in one huge fist and flung him away.

The children watching from afar cringed as Gildarts crashed into a half-collapsed building and flew out the other side, though Warrod only frowned faintly. He knew a wizard of Gildarts's caliber could survive that kind of damage, but it was also liable to put him out of the battle.

A giant icy flower suddenly bloomed, catching Gildarts before he could fly further and breaking his fall. It broke into glittering dust a moment later as it deposited Gildarts among the ruins, trying to catch his bearings.

Meanwhile, the battle had continued. In retaliation for his guild member, Makarov tried to slug Deliora again, but the demon caught his fist and crushed it between its claws. As Makarov cursed, dropping to one knee, Deliora opened its jaw wide again, building up another attack while keeping Makarov pinned in place. Even as he shrank back to his normal size to get free, he knew he wouldn't be able to move in time.

But just as Deliora was about to unleash its roar, the ground beneath its feet suddenly cracked open and collapsed, trapping the demon up to its waist. The blast of its attack went astray as it tipped over, cutting through the sky instead.

Gesturing sharply, Jura tried to raise a pillar of earth to immobilize Deliora's other arm as well. However, he had overextended himself — the earth was too weak to hold Deliora, and the demon smashed it easily, throwing rubble across the battlefield and nearly crushing Jura himself.

The momentary distraction was enough for Ul to rejoin the battle. Instead of trying to entangle the demon's entire body again, she wrapped her ice around only its upper arm and made the same sharp gesture as at the Bureau — strangle, the vines pulling tight like a garrote. Their long, sharp thorns sliced into the demon's flesh and cut cleanly through.

Deliora roared in rage and pain as its arm was separated from its body and fell among the ruins with a heavy thud. It flailed wildly, destroying what few buildings remained around it, and Ul vanished from sight in the clouds of dust and flying rubble.

It tried to summon another demonic breath attack, but by this point, the wizards had learned its patterns and abilities. Ul's ice vines snapped out again, this time wrapping around its head and tying its jaw shut before it could open.

"Way to go, Master Ul!" Lyon cheered under his breath. Next to him, Gray gripped Ultear's hand hard, unable to look away or even blink.

Unnoticed by the children, Warrod nodded slowly. "It's done," he predicted. "This will be the final blow."

Before Deliora could recover, a pillar of earth rocketed toward it. It didn't quite reach — instead, it launched Gildarts, riding on top of it, toward the demon, his Crash magic already shining. He hit in the same spot as before, but this time the attack was stronger, strong enough to completely cave the demon's massive chest and tear through to the other side.

There was a moment of still silence as Deliora — one armed, a gaping hole in its torso — began to topple. As it hit the ground, a shock wave swept outward over the ruins of Brago and finally over the watching group.

"They did it… They did it!" Lyon burst out, tearing his eyes away and spinning toward the others. "Did you see that? Master Ul is amazing!"

Ultear nodded slowly, also turning, but her attention was on Gray. He was still staring, transfixed, at the ruins of the city and Deliora's still body. Finally, his shoulders hitched, and he blinked, as if coming out of a daze.

He swallowed heavily, his eyes growing wet. "...Yeah," Gray whispered. "They… they won."

Ducking his head, he began to cry, even as Ultear and then Lyon wrapped him in a tight, warm embrace. It was finally over. Deliora's darkness and his nightmares were gone.

~.~.~

It wasn't a clean victory, they found out once they reached the ruins. Makarov was alternatively nursing his crushed hand and his back, muttering about being too old for this. Jura and Gildarts had both been knocked around and were bleeding from numerous wounds, and Gildarts seemed to have at least a minor concussion, given the way he couldn't seem to stay standing without swaying.

The worst off was Ul. She had kept on fighting, so it was a shock to realize that, somewhere in the battle, she had lost her leg. Everything below her right knee had been torn off completely.

"M-Master Ul…" Gray stammered, staring at her in shock and horror.

"Oh, that? Don't worry about it," Ul said casually. He stumbled over to her side when she beckoned him over, but Ul just ruffled his hair with an easy smile. "I froze the wound to stop the bleeding, and I can make myself an ice prosthetic easily — that's what I did in the battle. To a Molding wizard, this is nothing."

Slumped against a chunk of destroyed wall nearby, Gildarts snorted. "You're one scary lady," he reaffirmed. "I'll aim to have that kind of cavalier attitude if I ever lose a limb."

"She's definitely taking it better than I did! Good thing it grew back!" Warrod laughed, wiggling the fingers of one hand — presumably the one he'd lost… and regrown… at some point. As the others stared at him blankly, he added, "Ah... that was a joke."

"Well, we all made it out alive, and if this is the worst of the damage, I'll count our blessings," Ul judged. She absently petted Gray, who was clinging to her for once of his volition. Every mention of how dangerous the battle had been made him tighten his hold, as if he was only now realizing that he could have lost his new family to the demon as well.

At least the other two seemed to be holding up better, if only because they weren't so personally involved. Lyon looked downright cheerful, awed by the magic he'd been able to witness, and Ultear's worried expression eased with a smile from her mother.

"Indeed. The Black Wizard's demons are truly fearsome. I had not realized the battle would be this close," Jura said pensively. "I thought with four wizards on the level of the Saints, it would be an easy victory. I was too arrogant."

"Heh, thanks for that," Gildarts smirked a little at being grouped with the ten wizards acknowledged by the Magic Council itself.

Finally pushing away from Ul, Gray turned to face the other wizards. "Th-thank you," he mumbled, blushing and refusing to meet anyone's eyes. "You all didn't have any reason to help, but you still risked your lives… So, um, thanks…"

Ul sighed, unsure whether to be proud he'd thought to thank them or to scold him for doing it in such a backwards way.

Still, no one took offense at Gray's awkward phrasing. If anything, it was cute in its own way, as was the way Gray wrinkled his nose when Gildarts ruffled his hair. "Don't worry about it, kid," he said. "I wouldn't want to be the kind of wizard that just stands aside and ignores something like this. Don't grow up to be like that either, and we'll call it even."

This time, Gray looked up and met his gaze squarely. "I promise," he said. "I'll become a great wizard and protect everyone."

While the adults chuckled, Lyon and Ultear exchanged a look and a nod, making the same promise silently. All three of them would become great wizards — and do their teacher proud.

~.~.~

"—And the way you stopped its attack was brilliant too! You're so amazing, Master Ul!"

It didn't take long for Lyon to shake away the serious, solemn atmosphere and fully embrace his excitement. It was probably for the best — Gray and Ultear both nodded in agreement as they listened to his gushing, letting themselves be distracted from their previous fear and lingering worry over Ul.

"I always knew you're the strongest, Master Ul, but now I'm absolutely sure! I'm definitely going to become as a great a wizard as you someday! No, I'll become even stronger!" Lyon went on, beaming.

"As your teacher, that would definitely make me happy to see. But there are many wizards stronger than I am," Ul corrected him, again. "You saw, right? The guilds and the Council out west are full of powerful people."

"I suppose… I didn't think they'd be that strong," Lyon allowed. "But Master Ul is still the best!"

Ul couldn't help feeling a little pleased at his praise and the way Gray and Ultear agreed easily, but her natural inclination was to continue to decline. She didn't want them to grow up with unreasonable expectations toward her. Overconfidence bred carelessness and blindness, her old master used to say.

Seeing her about to protest again, Gildarts guffawed and said, "Just accept it! I'm willing to give you the spotlight on this one — as long as you cover my bar tab."

"I'm pretty sure you can get free drinks in any pub in Isvan, if you mention you helped defeat Deliora," Ul said.

"Oh-ho? That sounds interesting," Warrod said. "I was going to head back, now that things are settled here and report to the Council, but if it's free drinks… there's no reason to rush, right?" He laughed loudly.

'You didn't do anything! You just watched!' several of those gathered thought in tandem. No one bothered voicing it though.

"Well, you have a point," Makarov agreed, stroking his mustache. "It would be a shame to head home without even seeing a bit of the country… and I'm not sure my old bones are up to the trip back yet."

"Sounds like a party! Where's the nearest bar?" Gildarts asked.

"Don't you have a concussion? You shouldn't drink," Ul said.

"Spoken like a true mom," Gildarts waved away her concern. "I'm a big boy. I drank with worse injuries before. This is nothing!"

"He's serious," Makarov said dryly, then cracked a grin. "We know how to party at Fairy Tail! Will you join us? It wouldn't be the same without the hero of the hour."

"I'll decline this time," Ul said. "Honestly, I just want to stop by a hospital and then find a bed to fall into." Her magic had recovered enough for her to form an ice leg, and she tested it gingerly, pushing herself to her feet. It seemed to hold in to a satisfactory degree.

As Gildarts and Makarov tried to convince Jura to join them, despite his stalwart protests, she turned to Warrod instead. "Would you mind dropping us off before all of you head off?" she asked.

Warrod regarded her with a surprisingly shrewd look. "Certainly," he said, "but you know there's something we need to discuss first. You probably guessed, but I didn't come here just to watch. Rather, I came to observe. Even with young Jura, there is still an open position among the Ten Wizard Saints. The Council is considering extending that offer to you again."

"Again?" Ul shook her head. "I turned them down last time, and my answer hasn't changed."

"Are you sure? We both know the Council has little reach out here in the east," Warrod said. "If you become Isvan's Wizard Saint, there is a lot you could do for this land."

He was certainly good at finding what motivated people — perhaps it came with age. Hadn't Ul thought the same thing? That if only Isvan hadn't been so far removed from Era, something would have been done much sooner. That if Deliora had appeared in the west, it would have never been allowed free reign for so long.

Of course, even a Wizard Saint like Makarov couldn't always spur the Council itself into action, but hadn't he been able to gather other powerful wizards to assist him all the same? As a Wizard Saint, for Isvan, she could…

Ul shook her head again, sharply. "I can't," she said. "You're right — I love this land. I want to protect it. But I have something more important than that."

"Your students," Warrod guessed. He sighed, conceding. "If it was just one, I'd say that Wizard Saints in the past have managed an apprentice… but three children is a full time occupation no matter how you look at it."

"That's right. There's still too much I have to teach them," Ul said. "Thank you for understanding."

Behind her, Ul's students exchanged several looks — an entire silent conversation. Gray frowned, Ultear bit her lip, Lyon raised his eyebrow dubiously. They glanced at Ul, then back to each other. The boys shared a challenging look, while Ultear looked unsure. Finally, they seemed to come to a decision.

"Well, they won't be kids forever!" Warrod said, waving away her thanks. "So keep the offer in mind."

"Then we'll be heading back—"

"Hold on," Gray said suddenly. "I'm… I'm not going with you."

Ul stared at him in surprise. "Why?" she wondered. Did he not want to learn magic anymore? His reason for starting was gone now, but he had seemed to truly enjoy studying Ice Make, and he'd seemed happy to be with them not long ago.

"I want to become a strong wizard. And… Ul, you said we've already got the basics of Ice Make down," Gray said slowly. "But there's a lot about magic we don't know. Like those people who helped us… We'd never see magic like that in just Isvan. I want to see more of the world, what kinds of magic there are, what kinds of people use it. So I'm going to go west and join a guild — like the ones those people belong to."

"I… did say that," Ul allowed. "You've got the fundamentals down, so it's more about developing your own style now. But… are you sure this is what you want? Gray, you'll always have a place with us. You will always be my student."

Flushing at her words, Gray squirmed and looked away. "I'm sure," he mumbled. "I'm gonna join a guild and become a real wizard. And you can do what you need to, with the Council and stuff, too."

'...Ah,' Ul realized. 'So that's what it is.'

She stifled a fond sigh. It was cute that he wanted to do what was best for her, but he had it backwards. It wasn't like being a Wizard Saint mattered that much — they, her children, were far more important. Staying with them was no sacrifice or hardship.

"Gray…" Ul began.

"Master Ul!" Lyon spoke up. "I-I'm not going back either! You're amazing, Master Ul! B-but I'm going to surpass you! So, so I can't always be following you — I have to find my own way!"

He puffed up, as if trying to seem larger, but the way his lip wobbled unhappily undermined his determined expression — he didn't actually want to leave his beloved master, but he also didn't want to hold her back.

"I… see," Ul said. Lyon, too?

She glanced at Ultear, but her daughter just shook her head. "I'll stay with Mother," she said quietly, reaching up to take Ul's hand. "I still have a lot to learn, right?"

If it was one student, then even a Wizard Saint could manage it, after all. It was just that three were too many to shoulder an additional burden of responsibility.

Ul glanced at Warrod in surprise when the other wizard laid a hand on her shoulder. "It seems like your students have grown more than you realized," he noted. "If they're so determined, it wouldn't be right to hold them back. Joining a guild… it teaches you so many things." There was nostalgia in his voice as he remembered his own guild, so long ago.

She hesitated. She didn't really want to let them go — they were still so young. But they were right too. She'd taught them as much as they truly needed, and a wizard would never grow if they did not push their limits. She'd thought it before too, that she couldn't coddle them out of her own worries and fears.

Gray and Lyon looked at her with determination — even though Lyon appeared to be a moment away from breaking out in tears. Watching silently, Ultear also waited for her reply.

"A guild… I suppose there's a lot you could learn from that," Ul admitted, almost unwillingly. "If you join a guild... I'll allow it. I will acknowledge that you've become full-fledged wizards."

"Master Ul!" the boys both exclaimed, grinning. Shifting awkwardly and refusing to meet Ul's eyes, Gray added, "...We'll still definitely practice Ice Make. I mean, we'll always be your students… right?"

"Right," Ul agreed, smiling fondly. "Just because we won't be living together doesn't mean we won't see each other anymore."

"Oh, you don't know?" Warrod said. "Wizards in different guilds aren't allowed to talk to each other except in battle! You have to ensure guild loyalty, you know!"

"Whaaat?!" Gray and Lyon fell for it completely.

Ultear nodded seriously. "I guess we'll have to duel a lot," she mused, not seeming too perturbed.

"That's a joke," Ul said flatly. 'Or it better be…'

"Right, just a joke!" Warrod agreed, laughing. He was the only one.

"So even if we're in different places and in different guilds, we're still going to be a family, no matter what," Ul stated firmly. "And there better not be any dueling. At least, not often. I'll be watching your progress, so don't slack off in your training. And I want to meet these guilds you'll be joining before I agree! It's easy to fall in with the wrong crowd—"

Ul trailed off as the kids started snickering. It took her a moment to figure out the reason — she had really started to sound like a mom fussing over her kids... which she was, to be fair.

"Oh, really," she huffed, not truly angry. "I'm serious, you know."

"Okay, let's go," Gray said, already turning and striding away determinedly. "I'm going to ask those guys if I can join their guild. It's called Fairy Tail, right?"

A guild that had people like that, who would do something just because it was right, had to be a good place.

"The same guild as Gildarts? I don't know if I like the thought of you picking up his stupid habits..."

"W-wait, you already decided? Then I'll go with the other Saint guy! We'll see whose guild is better!"

"Gray, your coat…!"

The voices of his family followed him, and Gray smiled. There was no need to be afraid, not of monsters or demons or darkness, because they weren't alone. No matter where their paths took them, they would always be together, and stronger for it.

~.~.~

END

~.~.~

 **End notes:** Haha, sorry. That was kinda pathetic, wasn't it?

Anyway, a couple of things. First, I totally acknowledge that four people against Deliora is total overkill. Even if we charitably assume Deliora is at the upper end of the Etherious power scale (which we really don't know, it could be one of the weaker demons), most of the Nine Demon Gates went down to tag teams of two at most, more often to one person plus an assist. Even if we assume Gildarts was weaker ten years back, he still could match the likes of Gajeel/Levy or Natsu/Lucy, I'd say. And Ul is assumed to also be very strong. I expect they could have taken Deliora between them with no casualties, but the more the merrier, I guess.

Second, there are obviously a few plot threads left hanging. The biggest would be Brain, plus Hades and the Tower of Heaven. If I were to do a second arc, that's what I'd focus on. (I don't think that Tower of Heaven would have necessarily gone better for the slave rebellion without Ultear. It's pretty likely that Hades or someone else would have taken her place and used a different method to keep the Tower going, which could have led to an even worse outcome for Erza and company.)

(Given the theme of "ice family," I guess the other thing to hit up would be Silver, but I honestly have no idea how that would work or what everyone's reactions would be.)

Anyway, thank you for sticking with me to the end! Special thanks to **The Keeper of Worlds** , **dragonball256** , **darkworkangel** , and **Neceros** , who were there from the start and hung in there for every chapter!

Thank you all!

~.~.~


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